For his doctoral dissertation, The cultural change work of change agents with limited authority: Integrating sustainability into an organization’s culture, Simon Pek studied how companies can integrate environmental & social sustainability into their organizational cultures and day-to-day operations.

Simon Pek, came to SFU after several years of working in international business. He also co-founded a non-profit, Democracy In Practice, which was a finalist for the Council of Europe’s Democratic Innovation Award. During his studies, he continued to be involved in this organization that is focused on democratic innovation, experimentation, and capacity-building.

Dr. Stephanie Bertels, his supervisor, calls his work, “highly original and innovative, taking a fresh perspective on traditional research questions and exploring practical challenges facing individuals and businesses as they transition towards sustainability.” She also goes on to note that as an educator, he “manages to guide and inspire his students to do the most amazing things.”

Simon would like to acknowledge and thank his supervisory committee: Stephanie Bertels; Jennifer Howard-Grenville; and, Brent Lyons, for their extensive and generous support throughout his doctoral program.

Simon currently works as an Assistant Professor, Sustainability and Organization Theory at the Gustavson School of Business at the University of Victoria. His research is centered on identifying promising interventions to integrate social and environmental sustainability into organizations' cultures and operations.

One of the current projects he is most excited about is focused on designing novel ways of improving the practice of democracy and participation in organizations including co-operatives, unions, and for-profit corporations. Simon plans to continue to serve as a member of the board of directors of Democracy In Practice. He is very interested in connecting with like-minded practitioners and researchers.